Speaker John A. Boehner rebutted Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid at his weekly news conference Thursday, after the Nevada Democrat earlier in the week threatened to filibuster the National Defense Authorization Act, saying it is “a gesture in futility.”“Democrats may think blocking funding for our troops will give them leverage to secure more money for the IRS and EPA, but I’m glad other Senate Democrats agreed to move forward on the defense authorization bill,” Boehner said.